Megliola: Truth takes mano-a-mano duel

There was a moment, late in the game, in a tension-drained Garden yesterday, when greatness met greatness eye to eye. Both LeBron James and Paul Pierce were breathless. Which one would speak first, and what would they say? Pierce knew what was on his mind at that moment. He also thought LeBron was pretty much thinking the ...

By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff

Posted May. 19, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 19, 2008 at 7:03 PM

By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff

Posted May. 19, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 19, 2008 at 7:03 PM

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There was a moment, late in the game, in a tension-drained Garden yesterday, when greatness met greatness eye to eye. Both LeBron James and Paul Pierce were breathless. Which one would speak first, and what would they say?

Pierce knew what was on his mind at that moment. He also thought LeBron was pretty much thinking the same thing. "Who's going to give in?" said Pierce.

"The fans came to see Paul Pierce and LeBron James play," said LeBron. "Which guy is going to lead his team to victory?"

Fact is, neither man surrendered. But just one could win. James may be only 23, but he's not so callow or full of himself not to have cracked open the NBA history book to chapters relating to the Celtics. He never got to play in the old Garden - LeBron vs. Larry would've been a cool thing - but there have been a bunch of Game 7s in this town.

Was this Game 7 that good? Is the price of gas too high? Is Cameron Diaz nice looking?

LeBron went off for 45 points. Pierce finished with 41. We hadn't seen anything around here like this in a Game 7 since 1988, when Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins went at it in the old Garden. LeBron was three years old. But hey, he knows where to find ESPN Classic. He's seen that historic shootout.

"These fans finally have an opportunity to forget a little bit about what Larry Bird and Dominique did, and remember what Paul and LeBron did," said James. "Two great guys just going at it. Two of the best in the league. It was very exciting to be a part of it, especially in this building. Game 7 in the Garden. It gets no better than this.

"As a fan of basketball, I know so much about the history. This will go down in history."

It's history, too, that Wilkins outscored Bird in that game, 47-34, with Bird nailing 20 in the fourth quarter. But the Hawks went down 118-116. Just like LeBron's Cavs yesterday. History repeating itself on the parquet.

Pierce more likely would know something about the Bird-Dominique business. "I'm very aware of that game, and they don't let you forget it when you look up at the Jumbotron."

After the last basket went through, the last free throw sunk, after the last fierce rebound was secured like it was the Hope Diamond, after the last floor burn (there were many) was ignored, the Celtics had finally shaken the Cleveland Cavaliers, 97-92. It was never comfortable, though, with the Cavs cutting Boston's lead was one with 2:24 left.

At that point bladders were about to explode and a lot of folks needed to run to the bathroom, but no one did.

Page 2 of 2 - Which team would win and move on to play the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals was paramount. Still, the drama within the drama was Pierce against James. "Tonight was very simple," said Kevin Garnett. "Get the ball to Paul Pierce and get the hell out of the way."

It might not have been a bad idea to just clear the floor after the third quarter and let Pierce and James go at. "It was a gladiator duel," said P.J. Brown, the best he'd ever seen, and P.J. ain't exactly in his rookie year.

"It was just one of those games where I had it going and LeBron had it going and we just didn't let up," said Pierce. Since they were guarding each other, LeBron's take was, "I always want to guard the best. I kind of made a change this year. If I'm going to be the best, I've got to guard the best. I took Paul Pierce as a challenge."

And vice versa. Only one could win.

There is nothing like a Game 7 in any sport. Sure if it's Game 7 of the NBA or NHL Finals, or Game 7 of the World Series, it's great. But there is a lot to be said about a Game 7 in the first or second round when only winners can still think they can go all the way.

The Celtics survived yesterday not because Ray Allen remembered how to score (he was 1-for-6 and has been awful); they get to play Detroit because:

* P.J. Brown played a heroic 20 minutes.

* Eddie House's energy, especially on defense, was contagious.

* Garnett went for 13 and 13.

But it was Pierce's night. "Maybe I had a couple of rushed shots, but I just thought it was my aggressiveness that led to the open shots."

"He had some tough shots on me," said LeBron. "He had a lot of step-back jumpers that got him going. He had a few 3s that got him going. When a guy is hitting jumper after jumper you can only respect that. He's one of the best players in the league, and he was well overdue for a breakout game."

And now, the Pistons, just like you had it figured, right? Well, Doc Rivers did. "Before the season people thought it'd be us and Detroit in the Eastern Finals, and we did too."

The Celtics have taken the hard road to tomorrow night. In a game when LeBron James was true royalty, it took Paul Pierce doing a most convincing Larry Bird imitation to keep hoops alive in the Hub.

This is a good thing.

(Lenny Megliola is a Daily News columnist. His e-mail is lennymegs@aol.com)